Tank-regulator



W. M. FULTON.

TANK REGULATOR. APPLICATION FILED :uuzze. I914.

1,328,277. Patented Jan. 20, 1920.

UNIT ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WESTON M. FULTON, OF KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR TO THE FULTON COMPANY, OF KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE, A' CORPORATION OF MAINE.

TANK-REGULATOR.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 20, 1920.

Application filed Juiie 26, 1914. Serial No. 847,486."

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WESTON M. FULTON,

I a citizenof the United States, and a resident of Knoxville, Tennessee, have invented a reservoir for containing a medium to be heated and maintained in'heated condition, and more particularly to devices of this class in which variations of temperature of the medium heated, such as water in a hot; water tank, sensitively control the supply of such heatin fluid.

Heretofore, the suppl of the heating fluid, such as steam, to t e heating coils in conduits.

a hot-water or other liquid-containing tank has been regulated by means of a' thermostatic device locatd in the hot-Water tank and acting either directly on a valve in the steam supply pipe or indirectly on said valve through 1; 'e agency of compressed air or a head of water maintained independently of the source of pressure in the heating In the first arrangement, it is usually necessary to use a balanced valve in the steam conduit to li ghten the work of the thermostat. This arrangement introduces constructional difliculties from the use of balanced valves and does not secure the sensitiveness of control which is often desired. In' the second arrangement, a supplemental source of ower is required to be maintained and this in many situations is not economical and sometimes not possible.

My invention has for its object to overcome the above objections and resides broadly in providing a fluid-pressure valve subject toeither inlet or outlet pressure inthe conduit conducting heating fluid to the tank or 0th r reservoir and controlling this valve by a ilot valve which is operated by a sensitive thermostatic device in heat interchanging relation with the medium -in said tank or other reservoir. With the thermostatically-operated pilot valve may be emter without interrupting the use of the heating system.

In carrying out my invention, I may use any sultable -form of pressure-operated valve andany suitable form of thermosensithe device, but I prefer to use a thermostatic device such as described .and claimed in my Patent No. 1,102,035, granted J une30,

'1914, as herein partially illustrated; and for the pressure-operated valve I prefer to use the type of pressure-operated valve described and claimed in my Patent No. 1,17 6,535, granted March 21, 1916, oneconstructional form of which is herein shown and described.-

My inventionwill be described, by way of example, in connection with a hot-water tank wherein variations of temperature in the water to be heated sensitively afl'ect the thermosensitive means which operates the pilot valve, said pilot valve in turn efi'ecting the actuation of said pressure-operated valve to. control the flow of heating fluid through the heating'coils located in the tank when the variations in temperature of the water in said tank require it. It is to be understood, however, that I do not limit my invention to this particular use, as it is capable of use in controlling the'flow of heating fluid to tanks or reservoirs for maintaining a medium in heated condition used in other relations.

In order that the invention may be readily understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings which illustrateone mechanical embodiment of the inventive idea, and which are intended to assist the description of the invention but not to define the limits thereof.

- In the drawings, 1 designates a tank in which water or other liquid is to be heated by a heating medium circulated through conduit 2 and supplied through a. conduit 3 in which is located a pressure-operated valve sure of the heating fluid insaid conduit and to be controlled by a pilot valve 5 adapted to be operated by sensitive thermostatic means subject to variations of temperature of the liquid in the tank. The pressure-operated valve in the construction illustrated is of the form described and 'claimed in my Patent No. 1,176,535, granted device 4 adapted to be operated by the presof which is closed by a flanged cover 9. tween these flanges is clamped a flexiblewall shown as in the form of a corrugated out of the vessel.

March 21, 1916, and, briefly stated, comprises a valve casing having a partition provided with a valve seat or opening 7 on the high pressure side of the partition. In the side wall of the valve casing is provided a threaded opening into which is screwed the neck of a casing 8, the flanged upper tld collapsible and expansible vessel 10, together with a suitable packing ring, by means of bolts 11. The lower end of this vessel is provided with an inflexible end wall 12 having a vent opening 13, and in a thickened central portion of the end wall is secured a valve stem which terminates in a valve 14 adapted to control opening 7. Through channels 15, between the valve body and neck of casing 8, and the vent- 13, the heating fluid has free access to the interior of vessel 10. Secured to the under side of cover 9 in the form shownis a depending perforated tube 16 which serves to limit the collapse of the vessel and to conduct fluid Around this tube is a spring 18, the ends of which receive suitable retaining projections extending from the c0ver 9 and end wall 12. The interior of vessel 10 communicates through tube 16 and a by-pass conduit 19 with the heatlng fluid conduit 3 on the low-pressure side of the valve. In this conduit 19 is the pilot valve 5, the valve stem of which passes through a packing box 20. and is connected to a rod 21 which' is shown as threaded into a socket 22 secured to the end closure 23 of the collapsible and expansible vessel 24:. The end wall of this vessel is preferably reentering and acts to limitzthe collapse ofthe vessel by contacting with the upper end closure 25 of the vessel. This closure 25 is supported from a top member 26 of a' frame 27 which rests on thecap 28 of the pilot valve casing and is made secure thereto by a clamp nut 29. The means illustrated for securing the closure-25 to member 26 cbnsists of a sleeve 31 having a flange 32 at its lower end fast to the closure 25. The sleeve passes through ai tubularopening in member 26- andis held in place by'a nut 33. This sleeve is also adapted to receive the end of an armored tube 3 L which is adapted to make a tight joint with theend closure 25 and form a means of communication between vessel 24 and a thermosensitive bulb .35

partly filled with a volatile liquid and promoting into the tank 1. For the purpose of regulating the thermostat a spring 36 is inserted between end closure 23 and an adjustable nut 37 working on a sleeve 38 sup- I ported by a cross member of the frame 27. The thermostat illustrated is of the type described and claimed in my Patent No.' 1,102,035, granted June 30, 1914, but it is to be expressly understood that the invention is not to be limited to the use of this particular thermostat, as any other suitable sensitive thermostatic device may be employed in place thereof. Hand valves. 39 and 40 may be also included in the by-pass .conduit '19 to permit regulation when it is necessary to disconnect the pilot valve.

into the vessel 24'thereby causing the end wall 23 and the valve 5 connected therewith to descend. When valve 5 is seated, communication between vessel 10 in the automatic valve device 4 and conduit 3 is cut oil. Thereupon, fluid pressure is built up in vessel 10 through vent 13 until the fluid pressure on opposite sides of the wall 12 becomes substantially equal. The vessel 10 under action of spring 18 then extends and seats valve 14, thereby cutting off supply of heating fluidto the tank. When'thetemperature of the liquid in the tank lowers below that for which the thermostatic device is set, vessel 24 contracts and lifts valve 5, again opening the by-pass c0nduit.. If

vessel 24 continues to contract so'that the opening provided by valve 5 becomes materially larger than vent 13, as will be the case if the flow of steam past valve 5 at the first opening thereof is not suflicient to compensate for the drop of temperature of the liquid in the tank, the pressure in vessel 10 is then vented into conduit 3 where the pressure is lower. The pressure on the ou'tside of vessel 10 then exceeds that on the inside and collapses the walls of the latter against the opposing. spring 18, and valve 14 again opens to admit heating fluid to the heating conduitin the tank. If the drop of temperature is small and gradual, however, the flow of steam past the valve 5, before the latter'has opened sufficiently tovent the vessel 10, may be suflicient to maintain the liquid in the tank at the'desired temperature. In this manner the temperature of the liquid in the tank is maintained between narrow limits.

It will also be seen from thisconstruction'that the thermosensitively cont )lled pilot valve device may be readily disconnected from the by-pass conduit for repairs, The casing of the valve may be closed by a plug or other means and the hand valves 39 and 40 then used for regulation without cutting off the supply of heating fluid to of use with any size of pressure-operated valve, thereby enabling the device to be made as a unit and with economy.

What is claimed is 1. In a device of the character described, a hot-water tank provided with a conduit for supplying a heating medium thereto, a valve in said conduit, a bypass for conveying heating medium around said valve, an extensible and contractible wall connected to said valve and provided with a vent constituting a means of communication between said conduit and said by-pass, .a pilot valve in said by-pass, an extensible and collapsible vessel having a movable end wall connected to said pilot valve, and a thermosensitive bulb in-communication'with said vessel and subjected to the temperature of the water in said tank.

2. In a device of the characten' described, a hot-water tank provided with a conduit for supplying a heating medium thereto, a valve in said conduit, a by-pass for conveying heating medium around said valve, an extensible and contractible wall connected to said valve and provided with a vent constituting a 7 means of communication between said conduit and said by-pass, a spring for closing said valve when pressure accumulates on the inner side of said wall, a pilot valve in said by-pass, and sensitive thermostatic means connected to said pilot valve and subjected to the temperature of the water in said tank.

. for supplying a heating medium thereto, a

valve in said conduit, a by-pass for conveying heating medium around said valve, an extensible and contractible wall connected to said valve and provided with a Vent constituting a means of communication between said conduit and said loy-pass, a pilot valve in said by-pass, and sensitive thermostatic means connected to said pilot valve and subjected to the temperature of the water in said tank.

4. In a device, of the character described, a tank for containing a heated fluid and provided with a conduit for circulating a heating medium therethrough, a valve in said conduit, a flexible wall connected to said valve, a by-pass for conveying heating medium around said valve and comprising a vent between said conduit and the inner side of said wall, a spring for closing said valve when pressure accumulates on the in:

a tank for containing a heated fluid and provided with a conduit for circulating a heating medium therethrough, a valve in said conduit, a movable wall connected to said valve, a by-pass for conveying heating medium around said valve and comprising a vent between said conduit and the inner side of said wall, a pilot valve in said bypass, and sensitive thermostatic means con nected to said pilot valve and subjected to the temperature of the fluid in the tank, whereby said pilot valve is sensitively operated in;response to temperature variations in the fluid in said tank.

6. In a device of the character described, in combination with a tank for containing a heated fluid and provided with a conduit for circulating a heating medium therethrough,'means sensitively effective tonormally maintain said fluid at a substantially uniform temperature comprising a valve in said conduit, a movable wall connected to said valve, at by-pass around said valve and comprising a vent between said conduit and the inner side of said wall, a valve in said by-pas's, and thermostatic means subjected to the temperature of the fluid in said tank, said thermostatic means being connected to said last-named valve and actuating the same in accordance with temperature variations in the fluid in said tank.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

WESTON M. FULTON. 

